Fashion Design BA Hons | University of Chester

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Course Summary

Fashion Design is a fast-paced and practically driven course aimed at inquisitive and hardworking individuals, who are strongly motivated to develop their own unique creative design identity.

The course places innovative design thinking at the heart of its delivery and engages students to create design concepts that push the boundaries between current and future design practice.

Studio, lecture and workshop sessions encourage inquisitive learning, and signposting to internship opportunities provides industry relevance.

You will gain expertise in key practical and digital production skills to expand your professional design knowledge in preparation for job markets within the fashion industry. Also, industry-driven projects place employability at the centre of learning.

Graduates from the course have designed for luxury, premium and online brands, undertaken internships with major fashion companies and gained grants to set up their own businesses.

Design brands and industry professionals are invited to provide advice, guidance and insight into current working methods within the fashion industry.

Your learning will take place within a very ‘hands on’ supportive environment, which stimulates critical intellectual growth and promotes creative and professional independence in preparation for the fashion industry.

What you'll Study

The BA Fashion Design course contains a blend of specialist and interdisciplinary modules at each level of study.

At Level 4, students will be introduced to Design Process and Methods, Design in Context and Design in Practice.

Level 5 builds upon this foundation with more complex learning to develop a deeper understanding of fashion design application, whilst honing professional garment construction skills. Learning is focused on contemporary fashion industry issues and students build confidence in design practice, process and technique. Additionally, there are opportunities to work collaboratively and an experiential learning module prepares students for the workplace.

At Level 6, students will develop their own specialist practice and undertake research and experimental enquiry in preparation for their final collection development (Final Major Project), a self-directed, independent project, which integrates all of the skills acquired through their studies.

This is complemented by a Workplace-Readiness module, which focuses on portfolio development and prepares students for employment.

The University also offers several optional modules to provide students with the opportunity to learn a language and study abroad.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

This Fashion Design course is delivered in three terms of ten weeks each. In each term, students study 40 credits comprised of either one or two modules. Scheduled contact hours range between approximately 6 and 12 hours per week depending upon level of study and the complexity of the material being taught. This course is delivered through a mix of in-person and online learning.

Students can expect to take part in studio design sessions, practical workshops for manufacturing, pattern cutting and garment prototyping, and CAD workshops. Sessions will be delivered via small group seminars, lectures, one-to-one tutorials and specialist online learning platforms.

Students should expect to spend an average of 30 – 34 hours per week on independent study, which might include:

following asynchronous learning material on the University’s VLE, tutorial time with staff
using the University’s library
working with peers
and preparing work for assessment.

Teaching will be delivered by experienced academics and practitioners in the subject. This will be supplemented by specialist lecturers and speakers from the fashion industry.

The Fashion Design course is assessed through ongoing coursework and there are no exams.

Coursework will include a broad range of different types of task, such as:

sketchbooks
portfolios
illustration
technical manufacturing
pattern cutting files
and some written pieces, such as trend or market reports and presentations.

We continuously review the currency of assessment methods used in order that they adequately prepare students for future graduate-level employment and the evolving retail landscape.

We try to keep costs low for students and subsidise where possible, by providing fabrics and trims, where we can, for toiling and prototyping of garments.

Students should be aware that they will need to budget for final garment fabric costs.

We do have yearly optional subsidised trips to fashion capitals, e.g. previous trips to see Dior and YSL ateliers in Paris and to see Prada Foundation and Armani HQ in Milan, which cost around £450 pounds per trip. However, these field trips are optional and students are not required to participate in order to successfully complete the course.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core - building your subject competence, confidence, and key transferable skills to shape you into a world-ready Chester graduate.

Study a Common First Year

This course shares a common 'design and innovation' first year with students on fashion, graphic, interior and product design courses.

This means that you’ll learn alongside students studying a similar discipline, helping to broaden your knowledge and exposure to other concepts, perspectives and professions in the first year of your degree.

As you learn and collaborate with students from other courses, you'll not only widen your social and professional network but also learn new skills that will set you up for success in your industry.

In your second and third years, you will progress to studying more specialist modules within fashion design, developing your skills to become a World Ready graduate.

Entry requirements

112UCAS points

UCAS Tariff	112 points
GCE A Level	Typical offer – BCC-BBC
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM
International Baccalaureate	26 points
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers - H3 H3 H3 H3 H4 Scottish Highers - BBBB
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, of which 30 must be at Merit or above
T Level	Merit
OCR Cambridge Technicals	OCR Extended Diplima: DMM
Extra Information	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.

Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study. To help you to interpret these equivalents, please click on your country of residence to see the corresponding entry qualifications, along with information about your local representatives, events, information and contacts.

We accept a wide range of qualifications and consider all applications individually on merit. We may also consider appropriate work experience.

English Language Requirements

IELTS Academic: Undergraduate: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band)
Postgraduate: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each band)

For more information on our entry requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

72UCAS points

UCAS Tariff	72 points
GCE A level	72 points overall, including grade D in A level
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: MMP
International Baccalaureate	24 points
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers: H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 Scottish Highers: CCDD
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma – Pass overall
T Level	T Level: Pass (D or E on the core)
OCR Cambridge Technicals	OCR Extended Diploma: MMP
Extra Information	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs. If you are a mature student (21 or over) and have been out of education for a while or do not have experience or qualifications at Level 3 (equivalent to A Levels), then our Foundation Year courses will help you to develop the skills and knowledge you will need to succeed in your chosen degree.

Fees and funding

£9,250per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2025/26 are £9,250 a year, or £1,540 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

The University may increase these fees at the start of each subsequent year of your course in line with inflation at that time, as measured by the Retail Price Index. These fee levels and increases are subject to any necessary government, and other regulatory, approvals.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

The tuition fees for international students studying Undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 are £13,950.

This fee is set for each year of study. All undergraduate students are eligible for international and merit-based scholarships which are applicable to each year of study.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes.

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees.

If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.

The University of Chester supports fair access for students who may need additional support through a range of bursaries and scholarships.

Full details, as well as terms and conditions for all bursaries and scholarships can be found on the Fees and Finance section of our website.

Where you'll study Creative Campus, Kingsway, Chester

Join our Creative Community

Connect with Experts

Specialist Studio and Workshop Spaces

Art and Design female student in art studio workspace with various art materials.

Music Rehearsal and Recording Facilities

A group of music students performing on stage.

Contemporary Art Space Chester (CASC)

A man looking at photography printed artwork in gallery space

Equipment Loan Provision

Your Future Career

Job Prospects

Jobs directly related to a Fashion Design degree:

Womenswear Designer
Menswear Designer
Product Developer
Product Management

Jobs where your degree would be useful:

Trend Forecasting
Garment Technologist
Pattern Cutter/Grader
Fashion Merchandiser/Fashion Buyer

Progression options

Design MA

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

Fashion Design BA (Hons)

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